For sweater or worse: Sweater theft turns into fifth drunken driving arrest for Milwaukee man

A man was arrested for drunken driving for the fifth time after he took a pile of sweaters from a Mayfair Mall store and tried to flee in his vehicle last week.

On Saturday, Ricky Jones, 51, of Milwaukee was charged with misdemeanor counts of retail theft and resisting arrest. Drunken driving charges are pending the state crime lab report on his blood-alcohol level.

If Jones' BAC comes out higher than 0.08, the drunken driving charge becomes a felony due to the number and frequency. Technically, the arrest counted as his fourth arrest because he has been arrested but doesn't go to trial until February on his actual fourth drunken driving offense, according to a Wauwatosa Police Department report.

Also, according to the report:

An officer was patrolling the mall parking lot when he saw a car parked in front of Boston Store with the door ajar about 8 p.m. Dec. 9. As he approached, Jones exited the store with a pile of sweaters valued at $1,200 that still had the anti-theft tags on them. He jumped in the driver's seat and took off.

During a short pursuit through a nearby neighborhood, Jones' failed to stop for signs and slid around the snow-covered roads until his vehicle hit a curb.

Jones smelled of alcohol, was yelling and refused to show ID. Five open beers were found in the vehicle.

At the police station, he refused to get out of the patrol car and had to be pulled out. Then, he laid down on the floor of the station. Jones continued to resist at the hospital, when he was taken for a blood draw. He refused to walk, so he was put in a wheelchair. He immediately threw himself out of the chair and fell on the parking lot asphalt.

Wauwatosa police are familiar with Jones. He was on bail for several misdemeanor cases and has a lengthy record, including warrants, in eight states.